Achingly romantic, hauntingly beautiful, Once is, as its name would imply, a modern musical fairy tale. But it goes far beyond the standard boy meets girl story. In this case, Guy meets Girl, Girl changes Guy’s life.
Based on a 2007 film of the same name, Once takes place in Dublin, and the show begins even before the show actually begins. The single set is an old barroom, the kind one imagines there are scores of in Ireland old, musty, wooden, but alive with music. While the walls of an actual Irish bar might be cluttered with accumulated memorabilia, this one is covered in framed mirrors, and wall sconces glowing with candlelight. With the house lights still up and as the Broward Center audience settles into their seats, the ensemble cast of musicians play and dance and stomp to rousing Irish music, setting the scene for the play.
The musicians take seats on the sides of the curved barroom set as our hero, known only as Guy (Stuart Ward) takes center stage and, strumming his guitar, sings an impassioned song of heartbreak. Our heroine, known only as Girl (Dani de Waal) is drawn to him and walks down an aisle and onto the stage. Thus begins Once, and their modern love story.
The Guy is Irish and has decided to give up music. His girlfriend has moved to New York, and has taken up with another man. The Girl, is Czech and a musician herself; she is so entranced by his music that she will not allow him to leave his guitar behind on the street. She quickly becomes a catalyst for him, and devises a plan to reunite the Guy with his music and his long-distance girlfriend.
Stuart Ward and Dani de Waal in Once
Once is elegant in its simplicity. It is a spare, gentle show filled with both humorous and touching moments. It is romantic but never cloyingly so. The emotions it elicits are real, never manipulated.
As Guy and Girl, Ward and de Waal have undeniable chemistry. This is the kind of show where you hold your breath waiting for their hands to touch and yearning for them to kiss it’s like the modern-day Downton Abbey of musicals. There are some intimate moments between them where silence speaks volumes.
There are several stand-out songs: Leave, the first song Guy performs, Gold, the first-act closer in which Guy exhibits his attraction for Girl, and Falling Slowly, the romantic stunner carried over from the film, which won the Academy Award for Best Song. The soaring, tension-building When Your Mind’s Made Up is a rousing second act centerpiece that showcases the power of the ensemble.
Credit must be given to the musicians who play all the other parts in Once, including her mother, his father, her Czech housemates, her music store owner boss and a bank manager. They float seamlessly between their portrayals and their role as bystanders, sitting watching on the sides while the leads take center stage.
Once is a rare musical quiet, simple, but with a hope-affirming theme. Given the structure, this is probably not a musical that’s going to go on to a big regional theater life. Fall in love with it now while you can.
Once runs through October 18 at Broward Center of the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. For tickets and more information, visit BrowardCenter.org.
